


Waiting

by Peskychloe



Series: Waiting [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Dates, First Kiss, Getting Together, I wrote a canon compliant fic, M/M, Post-Canon, awkward teenage fumbling, yes that's right - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-10-15 03:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10549542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peskychloe/pseuds/Peskychloe
Summary: Ennoshita's POV of the Johzenji match in the Inter High, and following meetings between the two of them.This is basically something I wrote to see if I could do it. The more I looked at Terushima, the more intrigued I was, and then suddenly I thought this whole thing might be possible.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for Johzenji match (obviously), and very mild spoilers for another section of series 2. Nothing major.

Ennoshita leans forward, keeping his eye on the game. As always.

How many matches have they played without him now? Three? Four? He can't quite recall. It's since their Ace returned, he knows that for sure.

He counts his blessings that he's been in the starting line-up more recently than Narita and Kinoshita at least. He's proud that he got to play the time they beat Seijoh, been on the court to see that killer serve of Oikawa's. Even if he didn't get to receive it, he could sense its raw power.

Suga shifts on the bench next to him. It has to be just as hard, maybe worse, for their Vice, watching as the other third years keep the team going, usurped by a younger prodigy.

Now, Suga watches as closely as Ennoshita, spotting weaknesses, thinking of strategies to defeat the opponent, sharing them with the Captain and the Coach. He's still a big part of the team, even if he misses out on a starting spot these days.

Ennoshita learns by watching the game. But he also learns by watching Suga, patient, vigilant, clever.

It turns out Johzenji's team are all second years. Their third years have already left the team, unlike Karasuno's, who talked the staff into letting them stay on, the hope of finishing what they started. He feels a pang of jealousy, but shoves it down as far as he can.

Their players are unpredictable, moving with astonishing speed honed from their practice sessions; Ennoshita heard they play two on two matches, and it shows. None of them rests on their laurels, used to there being little or no safety net if they fail.

Their new captain twists in the air, his sinewy muscles like a coiled spring stretching through his limbs. The spike is in, and he leaps in the air, cheering with his team mates. His eyes glow with passion; even when Karasuno scores, they sparkle, he's just so thrilled by Hinata's every movement. Every time he and Kageyama pull off a quick, he looks like it's Christmas morning and he's been given his dream present.

Ennoshita has never seen Daichi look like this. His face is serious, calculating. He watches the ball, getting himself into position where it lands, like it was passed to him on purpose. He performs what is expected of him, quietly and reliably. He smiles at the team when they do well, but he doesn't seem thrilled by the game. Not like the other team's captain.

Daichi is doing his job, but for Terushima it's not a chore.

He's having _fun_.

Envy wraps around Ennoshita, suffocating him. No one ever told him playing volleyball could be as much fun as Terushima makes it look. The already present itch to play is now an insistent burning mantra in the pit of his stomach; that should be _me._

He can't shove down the resentment any more, and for the first time ever, he wishes he wasn't at Karasuno.

At the end of the first year, he'd left the team for a while, unable to stomach being shouted at. Extra-curricular activities were meant to be enjoyable; teachers told him what to do all day at school, why should he put up with it after school was over? It was summer, too hot for running, and his house had ice cream and cool breezes.

But after playing in a team since middle school, he found he missed practice; so he returned to the gym, eventually, welcomed back to the fold by a second year Daichi, desperate to prove his mettle before taking over the captaincy.

It was always still work though, hard work, with rewards coming in dribs and drabs as his team mates learnt new skills; Yamaguchi's float serve, the synchronised attack Suga instigated, that infamous quick.

And still every match, Ennoshita watches from the bench. Waiting, always waiting.

There's a shout, and his head turns to see their setter (Futamata was it?) attempt a dump shot, but he's stopped by Kageyama. As he turns, the blood is running from his nose, and someone says something about him blocking it with his face. Play stops, and suddenly there is movement on the bench.

Suga starts warming up, jumping on the spot, while Kiyoko checks Kageyama's eye sight. She ends up dragging him off, and Suga takes back his old position, clapping Daichi and Asahi on the backs.

Another player is given a sign to hold, and Ennoshita realises Narita is going on in Hinata's place. The simmering jealousy is bubbling again, barely held at bay by Ennoshita trying desperately to be happy for his friend finally getting to play, even though he was hoping he'd be substituted. It makes sense, Ennoshita is more of a defensive player.

Perhaps if Daichi was ever injured, he'd be called on, but he's never known Daichi to be substituted, in the whole two years they've played together.

For the first time in weeks, all the first years are off the court, for one reason or another, but Ennoshita is still on the bench.

In the lull of the time out, he takes a quick look at Johzenji to see how they're holding up, and finds their captain looking back at him, frowning. He looks away quickly, not wishing to be accused of psyching out the other team in some way, but when he glances back up, the frown has become a small smile, accompanied by a swift nod.

Play starts again, and he tries not to get sidetracked by what Terushima's game is, and listens to Tsukishima being given instructions for when he goes back on. Suga sets for Narita to score, and Ennoshita, unable to cheer with the others, celebrates instead with a sigh of relief. Tanaka isn't as lucky, and Johzenji are back serving.

Then it's Terushima's turn again; confidence brimming, he takes the ball, holding it in his fingertips. He glances over at the bench, catching Ennoshita's eye again, just for a couple of seconds, holding the ball up as he does so, almost a signal encouraging him to carry on watching.

He throws the ball into the air, before launching himself upwards, and bringing down his hand decisively against the ball. Asahi watches as it whizzes past him, pointless even moving to try and receive it.

'Booya!' he yells across the court, visibly annoying Tanaka, who missed his last shot. Ennoshita rolls his eyes, albeit fondly, and looks back at Terushima.

He finds he's already looking at him, again, and this time when their eyes meet, Terushima smiles and winks, a smile more gleeful even than Hinata's.

Ennoshita can't help but smile back, and somehow Terushima's smile becomes even wider, expanded by his pride at an amazing serve, and delight at getting to share this moment with the loser on the bench who doesn't get to play.

He gets the feeling that Terushima understands how frustrating it is to watch from the sidelines, and knows how much it must be killing Ennoshita that he can't join in. This smile is just for him, a way to involve him in the match.

No one from Karasuno has ever smiled at him from the court. They look to the bench to wallow in the cheers when they score a particularly hard won point, but it's usually with an open mouth, fists clenched upwards, knees braced apart.

He starts to imagine being there, in the thick of it, but on Johzenji's side of the court. Every point he scored would be celebrated like a winning match point, the thousand watt smile would be focused on _him_ every time, as he slapped him on the back.

The thought of the hand on his back brings an unexpected yearning. It replaces some of the jealousy with something else, similar to hope, but even warmer than that. He suspects, as it clutches lower in his stomach, that it's desire, and not just for volleyball.

He carries on watching, but now he's ignoring his own team in favour of keeping track of Terushima, waiting to see if he looks straight at him again, wanting to test his theory.

Instead, he sees Terushima gaze in childlike wonder at the synchronised attack, gathering his team mates around him in a scrum, whispering excitedly to each in turn. The next play, it's easy to see what they were planning, as their own synchronised attack falls flat on its face, all five of them failing to connect with the ball. It loses them the set, but none of them look crestfallen at all.

Ennoshita goes over to join his team for the break; it sounds like Kageyama is ready to go back, so Hinata starts warming up, and Suga and Narita resign themselves to being back on the bench. Any hope Ennoshita had of playing in the second set evaporates, and, losing interest in his own team talk, he shuffles around to the edge closest to where Johzenji are.

If he stands behind Kinoshita, and looks to the right, then he can see Terushima drinking water from a bottle, but not be seen himself. He's squeezing it as he gulps, so it runs down his chin, coursing its way down the pronounced muscles in his neck. Then, he wipes his hair from his forehead with his arm, and the slight turn of his head, at the same moment that Kinoshita shifts slightly, means Ennoshita is no longer hidden. He's standing, hands on hips, staring straight at Terushima.

He doesn't bother looking away, it would be pointless by now pretending he was doing anything other than watching the other boy. He's not sure what to do next, but then Terushima lifts the hem of his shirt, without breaking eye contact, and wipes the water from his chin. A involuntary twitch of his eyes downwards, followed by a gulp that makes Ennoshita's Adam's apple bob, and from the smirk growing on his face, it's obvious Terushima saw him looking at his exposed stomach.

He raises an eye brow, before going back to the net, and talking to Hinata.

Ennoshita walks back to his own bench, not sitting this time. He resumes his watching, trying to keep track of the whole game, and not just one member of the opposing team. Every now and again, Suga mutters something at him, and he says, 'Yeah,' and it's almost like no one notices any difference. The terrible thought occurs to Ennoshita that they could do this without him, quite easily.

He looks to the other team bench, and realises they only have one person standing near the coach, and that's the libero. Any minute now, he'll be back on court himself. Once again, Johzenji have no safety net; if someone was injured, what would they do?

He looks to his own bench, and sees the other five faces. Yes, they could probably manage without him, but one day they'll need him. That morning, Narita probably thought they could manage without him too.

The ball is set for Terushima, and he jumps, a powerful strike connecting. It's stopped by Daichi, reliably in the right place at the right time as always. The receive becomes the basis of a quick from Hinata and Kageyama, and from where Ennoshita is, it looks as if Daichi is trying to trash talk the other team.

He can't hear exactly what he's saying, but Terushima's face falls for the first time that day, and he scowls at Daichi.

Ennoshita carries on looking, waiting for Terushima to look up, wanting to give him a smile of encouragement, but something has changed. He's still loudly encouraging his team, but with different words; now he's telling them to keep their spirits up, as if that's what he would want to hear himself .

Plays aren't connecting as they were in the first set, and their luck is running out. Meanwhile, Karasuno's defence is as impenetrable as always. Every shot is blocked, and instead of appreciating the other team's plays, Terushima is visibly frustrated. Any motivation he's attempting to give  the team isn't hitting the target, and everyone is impatiently trying to score points, without thinking.

Their manager, a girl with a bobbed haircut, calls a time out, and gives them a pep talk. Ennoshita has stopped even pretending to listen to Coach Ukai at this point, and instead strains to hear what's going on with the other team. The crowd is too loud, and it's too far away, but he can hear one sentence, loud enough to float across.

'Things aren't very fun like this at all!'

Terushima's face is strained, energy being extinguished by Karasuno's relentless scoring. As the manager talks to him, far too quietly for anyone other than Johzenji to catch the drift of what she's saying, Ennoshita can see light flood back into his eyes, the smirk growing across his face like a spark moving along a fuse.

By the time they're all back at the net, despite the point difference, Terushima and his team mates are ready to fight, to try and claw back a victory from the jaws of defeat.

A couple of serves down the line, and the smile is fully back on his face, this time by scoring a point from a back attack; something no one, not even the rest of the team apparently, were expecting.

He turns again to the Karasuno bench to share the celebration with Ennoshita, who is now standing, clapping and laughing as he smiles back. It's a sign of sportsmanship to acknowledge a good play from the opposing team after all.

It's too late for them to catch up, of course, but the way they're playing is less frantic. Ennoshita could tell they were enjoying themselves before, but the expression on Terushima's face now is one of elation beyond what he showed earlier.

He was just having fun before; now the pleasure is mixed with pride, not just in his own plays, it's in the team working as one. _His_ team. He's engineering them into a better machine, and in seeing Terushima realising fun isn't everything, Ennoshita has a moment of clarity.

He remembers why he came back to the team the summer before; it was the absence of the combination of things which makes volleyball rewarding. The sting of the ball against his arms, the feeling of victory when they won, the camaraderie with team mates on a day to day basis.

Absence of fun was why he quit, but it wasn't why he went back.

Even the failed synchronised attack, which ends up losing them the match, doesn't dampen Johzenji's spirits. It's over almost as quickly as they started to turn a corner, and there's now a quiet dignity to them.

Both teams line up facing the other, bowing and thanking each other for the game. As the lines pass each other, they shake hands, Ennoshita's fingers lingering longer in Terushima's than the other players. They share another look, this one filled with a mutual understanding of why they both play the sport.

He makes a decision there and then, walking back to the changing room, based on his gut feeling about his future with Karasuno, and what he wants to achieve during High School.

He's going to talk to Daichi about going for the captaincy next year.

He wants to improve himself, as well as improve the team. He's sure they'll make it to Nationals this year, and he wants to be the Captain who takes them there two years running, maybe even win it if they don't this year.

He can be the Captain who understands how easy it would be to give up, but still strives to carry on, use both playfulness and reliability to get results. Much as he loves his team, he thinks it would be nice to mix up the starting line-up a bit giving everyone a chance to play.

He never wants another member of the team to feel like they're waiting for their chance to shine.

Ennoshita glances back over at Johzenji, but the team are focused on their manager. Instead, he feels the paper in his hand, pressed there earlier by Terushima, and has to be content with waiting for later to call the number he's scribbled there.

Daichi once told him the Captains from Miyagi often get together socially; he thinks it would be nice to keep that tradition alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should point out that I think Ennoshita's experiences further into the Manga show that he doesn't regret being at Karasuno at all, and he understands how great a team they are, and how welcoming they all really are. I think he's probably a bit frustrated here, and I probably was when I wrote it. But I also think Terushima probably helps him see the reality - after all he's the one who understands how important Daichi is to the team, and appears in flashback when Daichi is injured telling his friends.


	2. Chapter 2

Yuuji was late. He was often late, but not like this. Usually he was just a few minutes late, and always on purpose. To prove a point. It was one of his more conniving features.

Any time he was actually running late, he was still on time, because he always left himself ten minutes for unforeseen circumstances. Mainly because he and unforeseen circumstances were constantly finding each other.

But not this time. This time he was _late_  and Chikara was going to kill him.

The first time they met up, he was late, and that was definitely on purpose. Chikara had made him wait, so he made Chikara wait in return. That was just what happened when you made Terushima Yuuji wait three weeks to call him.

It hadn't taken any courage to grab a scrap of paper from Hana, scribble his number on, and screw it up in his hand ready for the handshake. It didn't take much deft finger work to slip it from his fingers at the right time to press it into the palm of the bench warmer he'd been watching. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd given his number to someone he knew had been watching him as he played.

No one had ever not called straightaway though.

Not just that, no one had ever not smiled when he gave them his number, a knowing glint in their eye. The number 6 was passive. Disinterested. He wasn't even sure if he'd actually given him the paper until he checked his palm, and then he caught sight of him secretively unfurling it with the same passive expression.

No confusion. No smile. No anger, even.

'Hello?'

'Oh hi. Urm. I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm Ennoshita Chikara. From Karasuno.'

And of course he remembered. He hadn't known his name, but he remembered the boy who hadn't called, and now that boy had a name.

He pretended not to remember him, but the more days that had gone by, the more he'd thought about him. Because he was pissed off that he hadn't called.

Everyone else had. Even that shaved head one from Nekoma, he couldn't even remember his name. He didn't remember any names, not really, but they'd all called anyway.

'Oh yeah. I think I remember you. Dark hair? Glasses?'

That was a cheap trick, and Chikara saw through it anyway.

'No glasses. That's Kei.'

'So which one were you again?' He tried to sound nonchalant.

'The one you were flirting with.'

'I was flirting with you?'

'Do you lift up your shirt to show off your body for everyone?'

Now this was interesting. Because that passive face shouldn't belong to someone who spoke like this; his voice was a purr in his ear through the phone's speaker.

'I think you'll find I was wiping water from my face. The view was just a side benefit.'

'Yeah, well, I don't think you spilled enough water to justify that. I think you knew exactly what you were doing.'

'Still looked didn't you?'

'Of course I did. You've got a fantastic body, and you knew I was watching. You wanted me to.'

Jesus Christ.

So if you liked it, why the fuck didn't you call? - was what he wanted to say. But that would be needy, and he'd give away any power he had.

'So how can I help you, Ennoshita?' Business like.

'I was wondering where you'd like to go for a date, Terushima.'

And with that he knew he had no power in this exchange, and he hadn't since he pressed that paper into Chikara's hand.

So when the first date came, he tried to regain some control. He turned up fifteen minutes late, walking slower than usual round the corner to the designated spot in the park, hands in pockets. He enjoyed the expression on his face. For about two seconds.

'Yeah, well that bullshit doesn't work with me,' was the first thing he said. 'I was two minutes away from going. This isn't a volleyball court, and it's not about breaking a serve.'

'The bus was late. Can't help public transport.'

'If that were true, you'd be running and apologetic. No, you slowed down as you got to that wall, so you looked as if you didn't care.'

Yuuji opened his mouth to speak, but just closed it again.

Chikara spoke again, quieter than before. 'I'm sorry I didn't call straightaway. I...well, I thought you were making fun of me, maybe. I probably deserved you showing up late. But if it happens again, I'll be annoyed.'

He'd never met anyone who could read people like this, and it was unnerving, and surprising, and...well, sexy, he couldn't lie.

'You're very sure of yourself. There's going to be an again?'

Suddenly he was bashful, head down, looking up from under heavy eyelids at him. 'Well, I wanted to ask if you'd be in my next film, actually. I think you have the right look for the...alluring mob bodyguard.'

So he wasn't sure of himself? The bravado was a cover, perhaps. An act, even though he directed other people's acting.

He felt a pang of disappointment that Chikara had meant he'd see him again for filming and not for further dates; and then he realised he was five minutes into a first date with someone, and was already wanting more of them.

His brain finally picked a word out from the last sentence. 'Alluring?'

'Yes. Good looking.'

'I know what alluring means. You're not the only one in college prep classes, you know.'

'Oh yeah? I've never had a failing grade.'

'I'm in class seven.'

It was Chikara's turn to open his mouth and say nothing. The verbal sparring was childish, and they might as well be comparing dick lengths, but Yuuji loved it.

The tension melted with Chikara finally laughing.

'I'm sorry. We're almost eighteen, maybe we should act it?' He put a hand out to Yuuji, tilting his head, with a crooked smile. 'Truce?'

Yuuji took his hand. 'Truce.'

And he didn't let go for the rest of the day, pretty much.

For their second date, he couldn't be late. The bus was held up behind something moving slowly, and his ten minute buffer zone of time was dwindling. There was no signal on his stupidly old phone. He tried turning it off and on, but to no avail.

> sorry I haven't replied yet. My phone is so old it keeps not getting messages.  
>> I was beginning to think you didn't enjoy our first date.

Yuuji liked the sound of 'first'; first meant there would be more, right? He hadn't kissed him, but there was no reason to think it hadn't gone well. He just hadn't kissed him.

Everyone else, that was all they did, the kissing bit of the date. He didn't talk to them about films and video games and the fucking future, for crying out loud. All while sitting and holding hands, like grade school children.

But his heart had never beaten so fast, and at the end of their date, he'd kissed his cheek and asked him to message him soon.

> I've been meaning to get a new one for weeks  
>> try turning it off and on.   
>> Or you know, just stop putting off getting a new phone, dork

So every few days he turned it off and on again, usually finding a message from Chikara.

Every time he saw a message from him, his heart beat faster, and the unfamiliarity of nerves and hope swelled inside him.

He didn't want to make him wait any more. He got off at a stop early, and ran until he made it to the park, stitch burning in his stomach. As he came round the corner, he could see him waiting, looking at his phone and frowning.

'I'm so...sorry! The...bus.' His breathing was laboured, and he bent at the waist clutching his stomach. 'Stitch.'

Chikara slid his phone into his back pocket, and put a hand on Yuuji's shoulder. 'It's ok.'

'You're not mad?' He looked up at him, hands on hips and still breathing heavily.

'Why would I be mad? It's obviously the truth. I've never seen anyone run that fast in real life.'

'Well. I didn't want to make you wait. You said you wouldn't put up with it.'

'I said I wouldn't put up with bullshit. This is clearly not your fault.'

He moved closer, and although Yuuji thought he'd caught his breath finally, it hitched in his chest again. Chikara trailed his other hand down his arm, until he slipped it into his hand. It felt so right, until he ruined it by stuttering out, 'My hands are sweaty. From running.'

Chikara shushed him, and pulled on his hand to bring him even closer. 'You were worth waiting for.'

And so was the kiss.

 


	3. Chapter 3

It's surprising how loud the sound of a pen is when the person holding it and waggling it in their fingers is as impatient as Yuuji is. He clearly hasn't noticed how annoying Chikara finds the gentle, uneven, tick tick tick of it against his thumbnail.

The reason for his impatience is that this is the fourth study date Chikara and he have spent together, and they still haven't, well, _done_ anything.

The first time Chikara asked him over to 'study', Yuuji assumed it would be like every other time he'd gone to someone's house to 'study' and involve a lot more making out than studying. And when he says a lot more, he means there wasn't any studying whatsoever.

So the first surprise that day was definitely Ennoshita's mother opening the door, knowing his name, and then telling him where to find Chikara's bedroom. Chikara's parents were either the most understanding parents he'd ever met, or there was no chance they'd be able to do anything other than homework. He'd worn his best shirt as well.

Chikara laughed when he admitted he hadn't brought any books, and they ended up quizzing each other on subjects they had in common. Yuuji had always been good at English because of his uncle who works in London, and he was able to help Chikara to understand some idioms he'd been stuck on. In return, Chikara helped Yuuji, who struggles a lot with numbers, to understand the maths homework he'd left at home.

After a few hours, four cups of coffee, and a plate of sashimi his mother brought to them, Yuuji reluctantly said he had to get home. To his surprise and delight, Chikara said goodbye to him at the door, sending him off with a kiss in front of his parents and their neighbours.

A seed of realisation settled in his stomach; Chikara really _did_ like him, despite his apparent lack of interest in helping him to get a grip of anything other than quadratic equations. He nursed it over the week, feeding it with daily text messages, shared photos of their lunches on snapchat, and nightly squirming in his bed, trying to sleep without thinking about Chikara's lips on his.

He's had three weeks of this routine; turn up, study, kiss on the doorstep, flirt all week. Where is this going?

He looks over at Chikara, glasses propped on his nose, slipping down slightly. He found out the week before that Chikara has migraines due to his insomnia and often wears glasses at weekends. Seeing him in a way no one else ever does makes him feel special and warm in a way he doesn't really understand.

Chikara senses he's being watched and looks over at Yuuji, the smile lifting his cheeks in turn lifting the glasses a little, and there's a rush of fondness inside his chest again. He flips through memories to try and match it against something similar, but he comes up empty.

“You okay?” Chikara's voice is so soft, so totally unlike his own, and his brow is furrowed in worry behind the thick frames of his glasses.

“Hmm?” is all he can trust himself to answer.

“We've worked long enough, I think. You've gone glassy eyed.” He snaps his book shut, folds his glasses carefully and places them on the top of it. He bends his knees up to his chin, and hooks his fingers around his toes; in the space of five seconds he goes from looking like a salaryman to a mischievous toddler simply by losing his glasses and adding a grin. “Shall we have a treat?”

Yuuji has no idea what the treat might be, but he knows whatever it is, he wants it more than anything. “Urm, yeah? Yeah! Definitely.”

Chikara gets up, allowing Yuuji to admire him from the back, and when he bends to reach behind something in his wardrobe, Yuuji knows he's done for. He likes Chikara, he really fucking likes him, and he _really_ likes that strip of flesh he can see. He hopes whatever he's looking for is never found so he can keep looking at that flesh for a bit longer, but unfortunately Chikara finds the treat he promised.

Yuuji can't help but wonder if any treat will be better than the sight of Chikara's backside jammed into his jeans, and then wonders if he can wait a second longer to touch Chikara in inappropriate ways.

He holds two square cellophane packets over his head, one in each hand. “I finally found soy sauce Kit Kats!”

“Oh. Cool.”

Chikara joins Yuuji on the bed, nonchalantly throwing one of the chocolate bars into his lap. “Thought you wanted to try it? I mean, it _is_ the traditional studying snack, and we _are_ studying, so...” He smiles at Yuuji and crosses his legs before snapping a finger off and nibbling on the end with trepidation. “Hmm...not as weird as the macha one, but still pretty awful.” He takes another bite, anyway, moving his head from side to side as he thinks.

Yuuji opens his own chocolate, and takes a bite across both of the fingers, causing Chikara to wrinkle his nose in disgust. Yuuji starts to laugh, before spitting the chocolate out into his hand. “Oh, no, this is terrible! This is the worst treat ever!”

“What would you have preferred?” Chikara says quietly, starting on the second finger of his Kit Kat. He lets it linger on his bottom lip, for slightly too long to be accidental, before taking a bite.

“Literally any other flavour,” Yuuji says, too busy wiping the inside of his mouth with a tissue to notice Chikara now sucking the chocolate. “Are you actually enjoying it? It's...” He trails off as he finally notices Chikara, before finishing with a strangled, “...disgusting.”

Yuuji looks away in order to think clearly. There's no chance that the way Chikara sucking the chocolate into his mouth is innocent, and yet...Chikara just isn't like that.

Now, Yuuji on the other hand; if he was moving a finger of wafer back and forth between his lips like that, sucking at the chocolate and licking his lips,  _everyone_ would know he was doing it on purpose to be either disgusting or flirty, depending on how you felt about Yuuji sucking...things.

He hears the cellophane crinkling before Chikara throws the packaging at the bin at the end of the bed. He leans forward slightly to try and see. “Did it go in?”

Chikara is still peering at the floor, but Yuuji looks at Chikara instead. “Uh-huh.” With a grin, Chikara looks at him, and there's a moment where their eyes meet; Chikara is still smiling from his successful toss at the bin and Yuuji is so warm now, he can hardly stand it. His chest feels like it's full of dominoes and  _that_ smile has pushed over the first one in the line, the clattering of them against each other in perfect synchronisation with his heartbeat.

“What's up?” Chikara says, his smile falling away, and Yuuji realises he's been staring at Chikara for too long without smiling back.

“I...”

They're interrupted by the door opening and Chikara moves back away from him. There's a flush growing across his neck and the bit of collarbone Yuuji has been trying to avoid looking at, and he shyly smiles at his mother bringing in a tray with tea on it. “Thanks, Mum.”

“If you've finished studying, you should come downstairs.” There's a knowing glint in her eye and it's Yuuji's turn to blush as he feels caught out.

“We're only talking. I know the rules.” Chikara pours the tea out for them both, shooing his mother away with a hand and a smile, in that way only responsible sons can get away with.

Yuuji could never get away with that with his Mum. She'd know immediately what was going on, or what he was trying to start anyway. There's no way he'd be able to have his door shut when he had a visitor. She knew him far too well for that, and, to be fair to her, he'd never given her that many reasons to trust him.

“Sorry about that,” Chikara says, shuffling a little closer again, passing over a teacup.

“What are your rules?”

Chikara laughs. “Oh that! Well, I'm allowed people in my room as long as she's allowed to come in without knocking.” He moves his hands around his head in a circle. “It's a trust thing, I think. But, if I know she can come in at any time, I can't get up to anything either.”

“They know we're...involved though?”

“Well, yeah! 'Course. They see us kissing, don't they?”

“So I could kiss you then? Now?”

“Yeah...if you want to?”

Of  _course_ he wants to. It's all he's wanted to do since he arrived. He leans forward, resting his hand against Chikara's cheek, slotting it around his ear to curl his fingers against the back of his head. Chikara's breath hitches, and Yuuji knows he must have sensed that this won't be a kiss like the chaste ones they have on the doorstep, or their first one in the park which was hardly even a kiss.

Yuuji tries to put all the warmth in his chest into the kiss he prepares for Chikara, He takes in a deep breath, for some reason, before realising he'll need to let it out or he won't be able to kiss him anyway. There's a soft chuckle from Chikara, whose hands creep towards Yuuji, one onto his knee and the other resting against his shoulder. The touch is so light, hesitant, and Yuuji can't help but wonder if Chikara's ever had a kiss like the one he's going to give him. In a minute. When he's ready to do it.

Then suddenly, it's like he's forgotten how to kiss at all. Everyone he's ever kissed before wasn't as important as this kiss, and it has to be perfect, it has to be  _just right_ and he's so paralysed by fear, he's waited too long.

“Yuuji? It's okay if you don't want to kiss me.”

“I do!” What's wrong with him? He's never waited so long to kiss someone before. Usually he's too quick, kissing with too wide lips and too much teeth. Why can't he do even that right now, instead of nothing at all?

_Because it was never important before_ , comes a terrifying thought.

“What are you waiting for?” Chikara is smiling at him, the hand he has on Yuuji's shoulder moving up and down, soothing and encouraging.

This breaks the spell and they both move towards each other at the same time. Chikara is still smiling and Yuuji is still terrified, but their lips meet anyway.

At first, it's  _exactly_ the same as the doorstep kisses, and Yuuji is annoyed with himself. Chikara makes a small humming noise, brushing his nose against Yuuji's cheek.

“I really like you, you know,” he says with a whisper full of tea and chocolate.

This time, Yuuji parts his lips as he presses against Chikara's mouth, encouraging him to do the same with the tip of his tongue. Chikara's hums again as their lips move together, unhurried and tender. Yuuji feels like he's melting into Chikara, fights to keep himself aware of the room, of the door that could open any moment, and tries to pry as many sighs out of Chikara as he can before he pulls away.

  
  


–

  
  


Ennoshita's mother finds herself in a dilemma. She looks at her son's bedroom door, clicked shut and covered in scraps of old stickers he put there over ten years ago.

He's never made his door feel like a barrier, never complained about her walking in. There's a mutual understanding and she trusts him implicitly. He's never given her a reason not to.

This other boy though, this  _Yuuji –_ she doesn't trust him. He seems sly, a playboy. She recognised the look on his face when she last went in, she saw it in the eyes of teenage boys when she was younger.

She trusts Chikara. But they've been in there, alone, with the door shut, for over an hour since she saw how close they were sitting and the pinkness in their faces, the expressions of being caught they tried to hide.

She should just walk in, get it over with, like ripping off a plaster.

But what if...what if she  _sees_ something?

For the first time ever, she knocks on Chikara's bedroom door.

A quiet, “Come in,” from the other side of the door, in Yuuji's voice, surprises her a little. She opens it, hesitantly.

Yuuji is already smiling at her, a finger over his lips. His other hand is held by one of Chikara's, both resting on his shoulder as his head rests in Yuuji's lap. He's fast asleep, his legs bent and turned away from the door.

“Migraine,” Yuuji whispers, his hand dropping to smooth Chikara's fringe across his forehead. “Didn't want to move him.”

“I'll fetch his tablets,” she says, walking out. As she closes the door behind herself, she catches a glimpse of Yuuji bending to gently peck her son's cheek.

She's glad she caught her son doing something with his boyfriend.

  
  


 


	4. Chapter 4

It's a Saturday morning at seven, and Chikara is awake. He'd rather not be, but someone needs to open the gymnasium door, and as he's the one with the key, since he does it every morning before school, it's unavoidable. He finds the lights purely by feeling the wall and flicks them on. They always take a while to warm up, but on cold mornings they seem somehow slower, just like Chikara himself.

The broom lives in the closet at the back, and depending on who cleans the floor the night before, he'll either find it propped against the wall, lying on the floor, or not even in the closet.

Finding it propped against the closet door, he knows Ryuu must have put Shouyou on sweeping duty. It's not that he's lazy, it's that he carries on practising with Tobio until so late in the evening he hasn't the time to find the closet key. Chikara doesn't mind; there's no point in getting angry when their quick attack is always so polished.

As if summoned by thought alone, Ryuu comes in, noisily yawning and stretching followed by Kazuhito and Hisashi. They all come from the same distant side of the village, the opposite one to Chikara. His closest team mate, purely by distance, is Kei, but he's not sure he'd ever walk to school with him. He's too busy bothering Tadashi anyway.

The rest of the team turn up in dribs and drabs. The new first years are most punctual, all four of them arriving before any of the second years show up.

“Ryuu?” he asks, “Who's on uniform duty?”

“Kei,” he replies, starting his warm-up jumps.

Chikara tuts and looks at his phone to check the time. There's a lot to do before the other team turns up, and he prays Kei isn't going to be too late.

–

It takes an hour for preparation, during which time everyone turns up, warms up, and won't shut up. An average Saturday morning.

Usually, Chikara can keep a short leash on his team, but not today. He has other things on his mind, so much so Ryuu has noticed and keeps asking if he's okay.

“It's natural to be nervous. You'd be a robot if you weren't. First practice match as Captain, innit.” He claps Chikara on the back. “But you've put the hours in, and the team's great. We're gonna slaughter 'em. Again!”

“We hardly 'slaughtered' them last time.”

“Yeah, sure. They lost the game for themselves with two terrible synchronised attacks. Hope they haven't been practising that. Could be dangerous, boss.” He squeezes his water bottle over his head then shakes the excess so it hits Chikara in the eye. If he was paying more attention, he'd have moved away. “How didya get this match anyway? Thought no one wanted to play us after we nearly won Nationals?”

“Urm, just negotiating between schools. Takeda-sensei talked to Anabara-sensei.”

“Can't wait to wipe that smirk off that Terushima arsehole's smug face,” Ryuu says, running off with a yelp.

And Chikara has a rude reminder of why his relationship with Yuuji is still a secret from his team, after all these weeks.

They only really got close the month after Nationals, and since then there's been a long school holiday. He could keep friends and Yuuji away from each other easily. Not being 'out' at school has been easy up to now, as he's always been single and no one confesses to him anyway. The school is heaving with better looking boys than him, why would anyone bother with him?

The few weeks after school holidays, they've both been busy whipping their teams into shape for the practice match they both demanded of their coaches; they agreed it was a good excuse to be able to see each other at the weekend despite parental pressure to study more and see other less. They can't possibly be held responsible for volleyball schedules.

He thought about telling the team he was gay and who he was dating before the match, but then he announced they'd be playing Johzenji and everyone, without exception, talked about how they couldn't wait to show Terushima who was boss.

Chikara had forgotten, in the aftermath of Nationals and amongst all the kissing they engaged in later, that Yuuji had been a pest to Kiyoko; the team were fiercely protective of their manager and vowed revenge against him when they next saw him, and now Chikara was throwing his boyfriend to the wolves. Crows. Whatever. He was sure Yuuji could deal with it, even if he couldn't.

He had the respect of the team. He didn't want to lose it because they thought he was dating beneath him.

“Chikara! The enemy is here!” Noya shouts as he runs through the gym door. The banging of it against the wall brings Chikara out of his thoughts, and he realises he hasn't used any of the morning to decide how to handle what's going to happen in the next minute or so.

“Shit,” he says quietly to himself.

The Johzenji bus is yellow, obviously, and as soon as he walks through the door he can see the blonde crop of hair near the front. Yuuji's mouth is open, as always, and he barely waits for the bus to come to a stop before he's jumping out of it.

He looks around him, and Chikara really hopes he can quickly learn to communicate via telepathy so he can tell Yuuji not to look too happy to see him when his eyes eventually find him.

“Chika! Hey!” Too late. Yuuji bounds over, stopped by a hand thrust out towards him.

“Hello, Terushima-kun it's good to see you.” Yuuji takes his hand and shakes it, the smile faltering but not disappearing. “Thanks for coming for a match. I'm looking forward to playing your team.” He hopes this is formal enough to communicate to Yuuji how they should interact for the day. 

“O...kay... Where should we...?” He gestures at the team behind him, some of whom also look as confused at the greeting Yuuji received.

“Kei, can you show the team where the changing rooms are while I go through details with Yu-Terushima?”

Tsukishima tuts quietly, but due to his grudging respect for the new Captain, he none the less motions for them to follow him to the changing rooms.

Yuuji stays with Chikara, crossing his arms and watching his team leave; the setter (Futamata?) turns and raises an eyebrow, to which Yuuji shrugs.

“Soooo,” Yuuji drawls once everyone's gone, “You're not out to your team. I didn't know that.”

“That's correct,” Chikara says, trying to stay formal.

“Wish you'd told me. Would have understood, ya know.”

“Sorry,” he says to his feet.

“Hopefully Futamata will warn them and they won't let slip about us.”

Chikara snaps his head up to him, wide-eyed. “They know about  _us_ ? What the...”

“'Course! They've known for years I'm bi. I can't keep secrets. It was kinda obvious we were dating when they asked how come we got a match with Karasuno and I talked about you being my 'friend'. And then wouldn't shut up about you.”

“Sorry,” he says again.

“Why are you apologising?”

“I don't know.”

“Best stop it then. Waste of energy.” He touches Chikara lightly on the arm and electricity prickles along his skin at how gentle it is. “I need to get changed and check they're not all, ya know, talking about us screwing or something stupid.”

Chikara's face flushes and he mutters, “I'd best get to my team too.”

–

For the duration of the game, nothing more is mentioned about the two of them. There's no changing room gossip or nudges or knowing looks. Even the handshake at the start is professional, even if his skin is still buzzing at the touch.

Chikara isn't sure why he's surprised that Yuuji can act aloof towards him; Yuuji is a nice guy, intelligent, even though he can be a bit of a dick.

What surprises him more, however, is that he's pissed off there aren't any stolen looks between them. Last time they played Johzenji, he had more time, he supposes, sitting on the bench and having nothing better to do than watch.

This time, he's a major part of the defence and doesn't have time to keep track of Yuuji for any reason other than knowing where one of their best scorers is so he can receive any spikes.

At match point in the third set, it's easy to see Karasuno will take it. They're six points in front with Tobio and Shouyou in the front row. Chikara braces himself to receive, calls to the others, “One more! Come on!”

Yuuji steps up to serve. He holds the ball in his fingertips and stretches it out towards Chikara, just as he did in their last match. “Watch me,” he mouths, not taking his eyes off Chikara.

Chikara gulps, rooted to the spot, as Yuuji performs a perfect jump serve. It's past Chikara before he can blink or move a centimetre, slamming into the floor between him and Noya.

“Booya!” Yuuji shouts, and then points both fingers at Chikara. “You're not the only one who's been practising, Captain-san. Ready for another?”

Chikara laughs, and curls his hand in a beckoning motion. “Bring it the fuck on, Blondie.”

“Watch your language, Chikara-chan,” Takeda warns from the bench, while Ukai nearly chokes on his water he's laughing so much.

Yuuji manages another service ace before the third is eventually stopped by Chikara.

“Nice receive!” Ryuu shouts, “Show him what we're made of!”

The receive finds it way perfectly to Tobio, who sets it effortlessly for Shouyou. They move like they share the same body and brain, and Chikara can't help but watch open-mouthed as they perform a perfect quick attack.

He looks up and Yuuji's watching with as much admiration. He runs to the net and high-fives Shouyou. “Amazing, Spider-chan! That was even better than last year!”

Takinoue, brought in by Ukai to referee for them, blows up the match, giving the victory to Karasuno.

Chikara is at the net before the sound of the whistle stops, grabbing Yuuji's collar and dragging him under the net to kiss him.

“Congratulations,” Yuuji says, breathlessly. 

“Good match,” he replies, before turning to his team. “Oh, yeah. I'm gay. And dating him.” He points at Yuuji, who laughs before Chikara kisses him again, and finally wipes the smirk off his smug face.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning - this chapter ends with a (mild) masturbation scene. Feel free to skip from 'they smile' if that would make you uncomfortable.

None of his team are surprised when Yuuji doesn't go back with them on the bus. He talks about Chikara at length, without shame, to the whole team. His two best friends hear more than anyone.

Still, no one but he and Chikara know the whole truth.

Whilst it's common knowledge that they see each other for study sessions, no one knows that Chikara has negotiated with his parents to let Yuuji stay over. He hadn't expected them to say yes, but, for some reason or another, his mother has taken a shine to Yuuji. He had to promise there would be nothing going on, and was given a talk that embarrassed him and ended with her giving him a packet of condoms.

Yuuji's sisters know he has a boyfriend; but they don't know he sometimes sneaks into his eldest sister's room to look at her collection of manga, especially the stuff hidden under the bed. He'd be mortified if they knew he was looking for guidance amongst black and white drawings.

When he talks to the team about how funny Chikara is, or what a great DVD collection he has, he doesn't tell them how he feels when he's with him; he doesn't talk of his yearning to touch him, or how pliant his lips are, or how beautiful he looks in the second after he stops kissing him when his eyes are still lightly closed.

Karasuno know, at least now, that Chikara is gay. They know he fancies boys, most of all Yuuji, they know he probably holds his hands and kisses him and stuff. He doesn't share with them how frightened he is of what comes next. How worried he is at how inexperienced he is compared to Yuuji, but how he also doesn't dare to ask how much experience Yuuji even has.

And so it is they sit awkwardly in Chikara's bedroom, both blissfully unaware that neither of them know what they want to happen, or how it should if they ever decide.

Chikara's head is on Yuuji's lap again as he reads a book he's holding a little too close to his face. He has to hold it close, otherwise Yuuji keeps poking the corner of it into his temple. Yuuji is on his phone, playing a silly, time-eating, colour-matching game.

Both of them aren't concentrating on what they're pretending to be doing. Instead, they're wondering how to bring up the same subject they'd rather be concentrating on.

Although it's not _exactly_ the same. Chikara wants to ask Yuuji if he's ever done it before, whereas Yuuji knows Chikara hasn't and is wondering if he'd consider giving it a try. The answers are no and yes, respectively, but as they're both thinking it must be the exact opposite, they stay quiet.

Chikara lifts his unoccupied hand to his shoulder where Yuuji has been rhythmically stroking him. He laces their fingers together and squeezes slightly. Yuuji squeezes back, so Chikara looks up at him.

They smile.

The unspoken conversation still lingers, but when Chikara hooks his other hand behind Yuuji, neither are sure whether the air really needs clearing; it's already changing around them as their hands move against the other's clothing. Yuuji's phone is next to Chikara's book, discarded in favour of staring at each other as they explore the boundaries.

Chikara is impressed that Yuuji manages to undo his belt one-handed without even looking away, but then his mind is filled with, “What underwear did I put on?” as Yuuji unbuttons his fly.

Meanwhile, Yuuji literally couldn't care less what Chikara's underwear looks like. He's not looking at them as he slides his hand down the front, anyway. He watches Chikara for signs of discomfort, but finds nothing but a sucking through his teeth as he closes his eyes.

It's warm underneath the jersey, and welcoming. He thought it might be clammy or rough. He thinks about what it feels like as he moves his hand up and down, and the only thing he can think is a soft sock moving over something long and hard. He'll never be a poet.

Yuuji lets go of Chikara's hand so he can undo his own flies and release some of the pressure from his hardening cock. He resists the urge to touch himself any more, and links his fingers with Chikara again.

Chikara squirms, bucking his hips a little into Yuuji's fist. It feels so good, he can almost forget the things he hates about himself; he's not shrinking away like he usually does, and for once in his life he feels wanted, needed. He wants to do something in return, but the position they're in is awkward. At what point does it get easier, he wonders, to arrange your bodies without thinking about it.

He turns onto his stomach, and Yuuji accommodates by turning his hand around, refusing to break contact. Chikara leans over Yuuji and kisses him, still humming from the touch against him. He's glad Yuuji undid his own flies, because there's no way he could have done that without stopping the kissing – and he doesn't want to stop, possibly ever, because Yuuji tastes of chocolate and ferocity and he can't get enough.

Yuuji's breath hitches when Chikara grasps him. His hands are rougher than his own but the touch is more hesitant. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembers this isn't his house and the door isn't locked and Chikara's parents don't knock...but then he's panting, his body stiffens and there's cum all over his jeans.

“Sorry, I...” he starts, but the words are kissed away as Chikara grinds himself against Yuuji to remind him of what he was doing.

It takes Chikara longer to come, but when he does it's more forceful than his own and Chikara collapses onto him, spent. Yuuji could possibly go again, given a couple of minutes, but he's not sure Chikara would be able to, he's so pink and breathless.

He bends to kiss Chikara on the top of his head; he feels a bit clammy now, and wonders at what point it'll be okay to suggest they get up and clean themselves down. For now he's happy to feel Chikara's weight on him.

When he goes back to school on Monday, he might tell his two best friends he went further with Chikara. But he won't tell them everything.

The sleepy, satisfied smile on Chikara's face is for him alone.

 


	6. Chapter 6

They usually study at Chikara's house, but not today; today Yuuji has insisted they go to his house. He likes the Ennoshitas, he really does, but it's quiet in their house. Somehow, less people in the house makes it less private. He guesses it's a ratio of adults to teenagers.

His house will have at least four other teenagers, maybe more if either of the twins have their little friends over, or if Mei has her boyfriend over. His parents can't keep track of all of them, it should be easy to do what he's got planned.

Chikara has officially been his boyfriend for six months. His family knows, Chikara's family knows, their teams know (obviously, after that practice match). He has to assume the schools are aware, this 'thing' they have has been hot gossip throughout both student populations for weeks. Teachers aren't stupid, and students aren't as clever as they think they are.

Apart from anything else, his mum wants to meet Chikara. His dad, he knows, doesn't care much either way. It's not about him being a boy, he hasn't shown any interest in any of Yuuji's previous girlfriends or his sister's boyfriends over the years either. His mum, well she wants to meet all of them, even the ones Yuuji doesn't have much interest in beyond a kissing session or two on the floor of his room (shielded from the door by the bed).

He waits at the bus terminal, regretting buying flowers. It's full of people, being a Saturday afternoon, and he'd forgotten that detail. He doesn't even know if there's significance to the flowers, he probably should have checked. He just liked the fact they were yellow and orange, like their team colours. They look right together.

He's seen photos of himself with Chikara, and he can't work out if he thinks the same about them. Chikara is...sophisticated. For a teenager anyway. His hair is sensible, he always wears a smart jumper out of school, there's a quiet, understated elegance to him.

Next to him, Yuuji feels like a heap of garbage. He's pretty enough, at least to snare some fun without trying too hard. He used to think his shirts were cool, but now he feels like a child going out with his babysitter. He's wearing his least obnoxious one today, the one with small white trees printed onto blue chambray, and he thinks maybe, just maybe, he could pass as an adult. The flower shop cashier didn't seem fazed by him buying flowers anyway.

Only adults buy flowers, right?

The bus from Sendai arrives and he ducks to check his reflection a final time in the window of the station; he flattens his hair back, tutting at the tuft he's always insisted on having at the front. He thinks about telling Chikara about the year he would wax it into a curl on his forehead to be like Clark Kent, because he knows Chikara will laugh, and he likes to see that, he likes _causing_ that.

Chikara laughing is a rare and beautiful thing. No, that's not quite accurate – the laughter _he_ can pull from Chikara is rare. He laughs at other people, a short huff of approval more than anything, sometimes a quick snort. But with Yuuji, he laughs with his whole face, not just his nose. It's usually accompanied by a scornful, 'You twat,' but there's often a peck on the lips just after that.

“Too busy looking at yourself to see me?” comes a voice from behind, and Yuuji realises he's still staring in the window, even though he's thinking about Chikara and not his own reflection.

“Of course I am. I'm much prettier than you,” he says as a cover.

“Not gonna argue with that,” Chikara says softly, kissing him on the cheek. When he moves back, he's grinning, another rare sight. He looks so happy, Yuuji isn't sure how he's going to wait until they get back to his house.

“Oh! I have flowers,” Yuuji remembers, bringing the bunch up between them, hitting Chikara in the face.

“You certainly do,” he says, spitting out a petal. “For...?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.” It shouldn't be a difficult concept this whole flower giving business, especially for someone in a college prep class, but Chikara isn't making it easy. “Flowers. For you. Because...you know.”

“But...what for?” Chikara looks at Yuuji for a couple of seconds. He still looks happy, but there's confusion mixed in now, and Yuuji starts to feel a little silly. “Sorry, I sound really ungrateful. I don't mean to. I just don't...know why...you're buying me flowers.”

“Why do people usually buy flowers?” He's really getting impatient having to explain himself when he thought flowers might do it for him. “Come on, don't make me say it.” Not out here, he adds to himself.

The third 'Chikara rarity' shows itself in a dusting of pink on his cheeks and a bend of his head, and then he's looking up from under his eyelashes, and Yuuji nearly blurts it out after all. He's weak for embarrassed Chikara most of all.

“Come on, let's get to your house,” he says, snatching the flowers and letting them hang at his side. But the expression on his face isn't lost on Yuuji, who smiles and grabs his other hand.

–

After using the bathroom, he finds Chikara sitting on his bed, legs pressed together, hands in his lap, taking up the smallest amount of room he can.

“Sorry about that! You okay? I didn't expect everyone to get involved.”

Chikara frowns. “Well, the flowers drew a lot of attention...”

“I know, I know! I'm sorry. That was...” Yuuji sits next to Chikara and takes his hand. “ _Really_ stupid of me. I shouldn't have got them. But, you made a good impression on Mum with them, so it's cool, right?”

On the short walk from the bus station, after being pointed at by more than one person, they'd decided that Chikara should give the flowers to Yuuji's mum instead of trying to explain Yuuji's thought process. Unfortunately, it was seen as such a lovely gesture, she asked him a lot of questions, meaning there was time for his sisters to come and coo over the flowers as well. It took half an hour to get away from them all, Yuuji managing it by protesting that they needed to study, which received raised eyebrows from his father, and a mutter of, “That's what they're calling it now, is it?”

“It was a nice thought,” Chikara says quietly, squeezing Yuuji's hand before dropping it and dragging his bag towards him. “You're right, though. We should do some studying first...” He trails off, like he's been caught out.

“First?” Yuuji says, looking at him slyly from the corner of his eye. “And what might be coming after?”

It takes a beat, but then Chikara pounces on Yuuji, pushing down on his shoulders so he falls against the bed with a whoomph, and then he's greedily kissing him and moving to sit straddling his waist. After the initial surprise, Yuuji kisses back, hand cupped around the back of Chikara's head, pressing his tongue between his lips. His other hand rubs along one of Chikara's thighs, moving up towards his waist, starting to dip under the band to feel the warmth from where the jeans have been sitting against his skin.

Chikara finally moves one of his hands from where it's still pushing on Yuuji's shoulder. He's not sure what he expected Chikara to do, but it definitely wasn't unbuckling Yuuji's belt.

“Hey, wait, wait...” Much as he doesn't want to stop, he's not used to this, and instead of only desire in his stomach, there's worry mixing in with it, curdling it into panic. “We can't do this.”

Chikara moves back, sitting on his heels. He looks confused again, and hurt. “But I thought...After the other week...Shit, have I...” He slides off Yuuji's legs, standing up. “I got the wrong idea, obviously.”

Yuuji sits up and also slides down the bed, legs bending over the edge of it, and grabs Chikara's hand to pull him back. He's hesitant, but allows himself to be pulled onto Yuuji's lap, kneeling a leg either side of it.

“No, that's not what...You haven't got the wrong idea.”

Chikara starts to smile, and puts a hand back on each of Yuuji's shoulders. “No?”

Yuuji rests his hands gently on Chikara's waist. “Unless the idea you have is anything other than I like you a lot and...I'd like to do things with you I don't want my parents to hear me doing...then I'd say you have the right idea.” His thumbs hook under Chikara's waistband and pull him inwards so their lips meet again. Despite what he's admitted, the kiss is softer and less frantic somehow, and Chikara has relaxed.

“Ah, I see. It's not about doing this, it's about where we are.”

“Yeah! Absolutely.” He kisses Chikara, who's still smiling at him, on the nose. “Sorry, was that not obvious?”

“Nope.” He pushes Yuuji down onto the bed again, but this time lies next to him. Yuuji puts an arm around him and Chikara reciprocates, and then legs are moved for comfort and so they're touching more, until eventually they're pressed together in the centre of the bed, a mass of limbs, quivering with giggles. “I thought...never mind.”

“What?”

“You said you wanted me to come here 'cause there was something you wanted to do that we couldn't do at mine. So I thought it was...that.”

“Chikara!” He pretends to be shocked, while trying to hide the fact he really _is_ a little shocked.

Yuuji would like nothing more than to do...stuff...with Chikara again. He'd definitely like to go further than they did before, too. Lying awake at night, he's come to the conclusion he absolutely, definitely, wants Chikara to be his first. He isn't sure if there's really such a thing as virginity, especially between two boys – two boys who've given each other orgasms already – but if there is, he wants Chikara to take his.

“So, what is it, then? What did you want to do?”

Yuuji feels silly and childish. This thing he wanted to do has been so built up now, it's bound to be a disappointment after Chikara thought it was something else. “It's nothing, really.”

“Come on,” Chikara says, shaking Yuuji's shoulder. “Tell me.”

When Yuuji shakes his head, Chikara starts pressing his finger into Yuuji's waist. “Tell me. I won't stop doing this until you do.” True to his word, he carries on poking at Yuuji. It doesn't hurt, it's mildly irritating though, and ruins the mood for what he was planning. He tries ignoring Chikara in the hope he'll give up and stop.

But Chikara is more stubborn even than him, and eventually Yuuji can't take any more. After a particularly hard jab in the ribs, he rolls Chikara onto his back and straddles him. There's a yelp from beneath him and he takes Chikara's hands and holds them above his head on the bed. Chikara tries to move, but Yuuji has him held fast, gripping his hips between his thighs.

Chikara hasn't stopped smiling up at him the whole time, but what Yuuji says next wipes it off his face.

“I love you.”

“That's...cruel.” Chikara turns to his side and begins to move away, but Yuuji's hands won't allow him. “Don't be mean. It's not funny.”

“Hey! I mean it.”

“Shut up, Yuuji. You don't love me...”

“I bloody do! I mean, not so much right now, 'cause you're being a bit of a dick, but yeah, I think I probably _do_ love you.”

“Probably?” He does the little snort that comes out when he finds something ridiculous. “And why exactly might that be?”

In the moment of Yuuji's disbelief, Chikara manages to free himself and scoots up the bed. He leans against the wall, knees up to his chin and arms wrapped around them. Yuuji refuses to let him get away and crawls after him, although he keeps a bit of distance so he doesn't freak Chikara out; he only sits that way when he's feeling lost or a little self-conscious and sometimes it ends with a bout of panic.

“What do you mean, 'why'?” Yuuji says softly, sprawling across the pillow next to him. “Do you want me to list all the reasons I like you so much?”

“'Course not.”

“'Cause I could, but you'd get embarrassed.” He lies on his back, hands behind his head, and nudges Chikara with an elbow. “The most obvious one is that I have a massive boner from kissing you...”

“Shut _up_!” Chikara buries his face into his knees, but he's starting to come around, Yuuji can sense it.

“But aside from the obvious – that you're gorgeous and a great kisser and all that...”

“That's _obvious_?”

Yuuji ignores him. “...Apart from that you're also very funny. Like...the funniest person I've ever met. Without even trying to be. And you're smart. Maybe even as smart as I am.”

With this, Chikara looks up suddenly affronted, only to find Yuuji waggling his eyebrows at him.

“Knew that'd get you to look up.” He boops Chikara on the nose and carries on. “You're really strong, like, not just these beautiful arms...but inside as well. You care about the team and lead them. And you hide how you're feeling so they stay focused and...I mean, even if you're not as smart as me, you're a way better captain.” He rolls onto his side and looks at Chikara, who is looking back a little glassy-eyed. “Can I touch you again yet? I really want to hug you.”

Chikara nods and welcomes Yuuji into his outstretched arms. Their positions make it a bit awkward to get comfortable, and after a minute they both laugh and stand up, as if resetting themselves after the conversation.

“Stay there a second,” Yuuji says, and Chikara stops moving. His back is to one of the walls of the room and he's smiling and looking confused at the same time. “I've just always wanted to do this.”

He moves quickly, before Chikara can do anything, and pushes his back against the wall, slamming a hand against the wall next to Chikara's head. Yuuji isn't tall enough to loom over him how he wants to, so he lifts himself onto his toes. Luckily, Chikara knows what he's trying to do and giggles as he shrinks down the wall a bit to create more height difference.

“If I'm going to talk like a shoujo manga character, I might as well act like one.” And then he's kissing Chikara again, with the wall for support as their knees weaken.

Yuuji wants to feel like it's different after his confession, but it really isn't. Then again, kissing Chikara has always felt unlike kissing anyone else. He tries to think of a way to describe it while he's in the midst of it, but all he can think is, “Mmm.”

That's when he hears the sentence, “Kissing each other senseless,” in his head, and bursts out laughing into Chikara's mouth.

“What's up?” he asks, with such a concerned expression, Yuuji can't stop the laughing.

“Oh, nothing. Brain working overtime.” He pecks Chikara on the lips and moves back to his bed, pulling Chikara with him. They finally get settled in a hug, Yuuji propping some pillows around them and rearranging Chikara. He says it's for comfort, but really he wants to be able to see Chikara's leg wrapping over his own, intimate and possessive.

“You know I really like you too, don't you?” Chikara says quietly into Yuuji's neck.

“Yeah, I thought you did,” he says, nuzzling back.

“I think this might be one of those mixed-race parent things, though. I can't...say what you did. It's not something...hmm.”

“It's okay, I know what you mean.”

There's been a couple of times Yuuji's mother being American has been more of a culture shock than he expected. The Ennoshita family is a small, traditional one; his family is big and loud, in all senses of the words, and even though his dad is Japanese, he lived in America for a while and picked up a lot of Western habits.

He knew that telling Chikara he was in love with him was a risk, and he knew he wouldn't hear it back, which is why he chose his own house to do it. He wasn't sure how it would affect him, to bare his heart and possibly be met with a brick wall. He had to know he was somewhere safe, where people would understand, just in case it went badly.

Yuuji does everything with a roar, launching his feelings into the world because he can't contain them.

Luckily for him, Chikara is an expert at receives.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning - pretty mild sex talk. I don't think the rating needs changing, but if I'm wrong, please tell me.

Chikara's house is quiet, and his room as tidy as always. The only thing different is the group of items on the bedside table, and Yuuji is mortified and turned on in almost equal measure.

“Your mum didn't see that, did she?” he says, horrified.

Chikara chuckles, affectionately. “Of course not. I got them out after they left.” He walks to where Yuuji is standing, rooted to the spot with nerves, and takes his hand.

“How long are they going to be gone?” he asks, as Chikara runs a hand through his hair.

“Long enough.” He kisses Yuuji on the forehead. “Do you want a shower? I had one already.”

“Yeah.”

The shower room is filled with scented steam when Yuuji steps in, obviously Chikara has only just finished. He draws a smiling face onto the mirror, contemplating writing a message as well, but deciding against it. There's a pile of towels, pleated in a welcoming manner, with a small bottle tucked into one of the folds.

“Gods,” Yuuji breathes out, seeing it's lube. He can see his reflection in the mirror is flushed, but he's also already getting hard at the thought of the care with which Chikara has planned the evening.

He undresses and looks at himself in the mirror, moving his hands over his skin. He should have shaved, there are dark bristles peppering his chin. The shaved areas of his hair are getting a bit long as well. Is there a razor he can use in this bathroom? Maybe he can find some moisturiser to make himself smoother.

Is he going to be good enough? Chikara deserves him to be at his best after all the effort he's done planning it. Yuuji has no idea how he managed to persuade his parents to let his boyfriend stay overnight while they're also out. He keeps thinking it's an elaborate hoax, and they're all going to burst into the bathroom and laugh at him for expecting...

He finds the source of the scent, a bottle of lime and peppermint shower gel. It smells like Chikara and his curiosity at how someone can smell so sweet and sour and fresh all at the same time is finally satiated.

He washes everywhere, of course, but he pays so much attention to his groin area that he's worried Chikara will think he's left through the bathroom window. Then he notices there's no bathroom window in there, and starts to feel claustrophobic.

“Stop it, you asshole,” he says, slapping his head. “Don't overthink.” He rinses away the last of the soap bubbles from between his buttocks, giving it a final wipe _just in case_ and then turns the water off.

The lube stares at him expectantly from the towel. It's not the first time he's done this; he likes the feeling when he uses his fingers on himself, it's what made him realise he might be a bit more gay than he initially thought. He's always been in his own house though, not someone else's bathroom.

At least he's practised in keeping quiet. He doesn't think he could bear the embarrassment of Chikara hearing him moaning.

He pauses, thinking. Surely Chikara wouldn't mind if he moans. Shit, he probably  _wants_ him to moan. What if he can't be noisy any more, he's so used to keeping quiet?

“You're still overthinking!” he says a little too loudly.

“Are you okay in there?” Chikara asks from the other side of the door.

“Yep!” he says, dropping the lube in surprise and not feeling okay in the slightest.

“Shall I come in?”

“No!” he cries, reflexively covering himself. “Give me a sec.”

There's no way he can do it now. He tucks the towel around his waist, uses another one to roughly dry his hair, and then walks back out to the bedroom in a pair of slippers he finds next to the door.

In his rush to leave the bathroom (or more accurately, the lube) behind, he forgets Chikara has never seen him half naked before. The reaction is worth any embarrassment he feels.

“Fucking hell.”

“Oh! Yeah, urm...I forgot to take in my clean clothes. Sorry.”

Chikara walks over without taking his eyes off Yuuji's torso, and says quietly, “Why are you apologising?”

“I don't know.”

“Best stop, then.” He hesitates, then runs his hands over Yuuji's chest. “Shit. You're so...hard.” He looks up, blushing. “I mean. Firm.”

“I am kind of hard, though,” Yuuji says, with a laugh, feeling braver than he did. Chikara's response to his body means he's good enough, he's not a disappointment. “I mean...my cock is.”

“Yuuji!” He rolls his eyes, tutting. “I knew what you meant!” He still has his hands resting on Yuuji's chest, palms flat against it. His hands are warm, a little clammy, trembling.

For the first time, Yuuji realises Chikara is just as nervous.

Yuuji puts his hands on Chikara's waist and moves them around the band of his trousers, slipping beneath slightly to feel his flesh. He changes direction, running them up his back instead, underneath the t-shirt. “Can I take this off?” he asks, pushing the cotton upwards.

Chikara nods, finally lifting his hands to hold them above his head so that Yuuji can remove his shirt. Chikara's abs aren't as defined as his own, but his arms, as he knew, are thick, especially at the bicep. His collarbones are pronounced, leading to defined shoulders, a sturdy neck. Yuuji trains for speed and agility, Chikara clearly trains for strength.

“Gods, you're beautiful,” he says, grabbing Chikara's chin and kissing him.

The atmosphere is so charged with expectation, neither of them take it slowly. Within minutes, they're hungrily groping, tongues slipping against each other, and falling onto the bed. Yuuji straddles Chikara, the towel barely staying tied, and begins to suck his nipples, happy when he hears a groan from somewhere above him.

In the last few weeks, Yuuji has become an expert at undoing Chikara's flies and finding his cock; but today he's wearing loose-fitting cotton pants, and it's even easier to push down the top of the elasticated waistband and pull it out.

“You're not wearing underwear,” he says, gripping Chikara's cock in what has become a familiar hold.

“You're not wearing _anything_ ,” Chikara says, putting a hand beneath the towel to find Yuuji's, similarly hard, dick.

As usual, Yuuji can't hold back, bucking into Chikara's hand until he's messily unloading into the sheets. He's never been able to last much longer than a minute or two the first time Chikara touches him. Still, as well as becoming practised at opening zips, they've also discovered their rhythm; Chikara might be able to last longer, but Yuuji can manage a few times.

Without taking much of a breather, Yuuji shuffles down Chikara's legs, pulling the pyjamas with him; Chikara's erection springs free, and Yuuji takes him in his hand again.

“Wait,” Chikara says, panting slightly. “Did you...in the bathroom?”

Yuuji stops what he's doing, feeling ashamed. “No, I...sorry. I was...”

“It's okay,” Chikara soothes, stroking Yuuji's face and dragging it towards his lips to kiss him. “It was something I read online. I wasn't sure if it was weird. Was it weird? It said it's a good way of introducing the idea without having to say it out loud. I dunno...”

Yuuji kisses back, a sudden jolt of affection filling his belly with fire. “You're so amazing. You did  _research_ .”

“Didn't you?”

Yuuji remembers his sister's manga, and looks away. “A bit.”

“And?”

“I'd like to bottom.”

Chikara laughs. “Well, that's  _that_ conversation done with. So how do you...shall I...”

“Sorry?”

“Should I...you know.” Chikara nudges him with his head.

“Do you want to?”

“I don't know.” He looks at Yuuji, serious and concerned. “Do _you_ want me to?”

“I don't know either, dude.” Yuuji frowns. “This is weird.”

“Hmm?”

He sighs. “Shall I just do what I do at home? And not talk about it any more?”

“It's good to talk about it, though?”

“They never do in...stuff.”

Chikara strokes Yuuji's hair off his forehead and kisses it softly. “That's because that's not  _real_ and this is. Did you research by watching porn?”

He mutters under his breath. “And reading yaoi.”

Chikara blows through his lips, and Yuuji feels ridiculous. “Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you. You know in porn, they've usually prepped before filming, right? No one's ready that quick. And don't get me started on yaoi.”

“Sorry I didn't do _proper_ research,” Yuuji huffs.

“My love, I'm sorry. I didn't want you to feel silly. I've got no idea either! But I know we need lots of lube, and lots of time, and lots of talking. Okay?”

Yuuji hardly hears the rest of the sentence after the first two words. He doesn't think straight for the rest of the evening, where the amount of lube, time and talking isn't quite enough for them to go the whole way. Not that it matters, they enjoy themselves anyway, and Yuuji gets his first blow job (which is incredible and he can't wait for another one of  _those_ ) – then they fall asleep, holding each other.

Well, Chikara does. Yuuji can't. His mind is reeling, because of two words.

Chikara called him, 'My love.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

The back door of the gymnasium is unlocked, as Yuuji promised. The telltale squeak of shoes and pounding of balls means they must still be playing – Chikara is much earlier than they arranged – so he sneaks in and takes a seat on the bleachers, watching them play while he waits.

The first time Chikara saw Johzenji play, they were all over the place. Their plays were either genius or idiocy, with little inbetween. He's seen them play a few times since then and had three practice matches against them, but they haven't played an official match against Johnzenji since he's been Captain, and Chikara is immensely glad about that. He's not sure Karasuno could beat them now. He said as much to Yuuji, who called him ridiculous.

“You won Nationals, you nobhead,” he'd said, kissing him on the nose. “Of course you could beat us.”

Johzenji were knocked out of the Spring prelims, losing in the semis to Shiratorizawa, who then went on to lose to Karasuno. The fact the team who beat them went on to win Nationals made Shirabu and his team feel less pathetic; Chikara wasn't sure Akaashi would ever forgive him though, even if Bokuto's absence was more to blame for Fukurodani losing to Karasuno in the finals.

Yuuji had been there, in the crowd with Daichi and the other third years. It was tense when he had to face Kiyoko, but he'd brought a small bunch of flowers with him, as he always did whenever he was nervous about something. He chose white tulips which were, according to Yuuji anyway, the classic apology flower.

“How do you even know this?” Chikara had asked. “And why did I get those ones that day you took me home?”

“I just like giving flowers, dude. And it's worth knowing what they mean.” Yuuji spoke, as always, with enthusiasm, waving his arms around as he did so. “The ones I gave you were gerberas, and I didn't know what they symbolise at the time. Just liked the colours. _But_ I looked it up later, and they mean truth and happiness! How lucky was I to pick them? 'Cause it went well, didn't it? My parents liked you and I said I loved you and everything.”

“Is there a flower that means, 'please be quiet'?”

The flower that means congratulations is yellow roses; a dozen of them showed up at Chikara's house two days after the final, an extravagant arrangement with fennel mixed in, and Chikara wasn't sure whether to believe Yuuji when he insisted that they mean 'highest achievement'. Even now he's convinced Yuuji just wanted to send flowers the colour of his old team.

Today, he carries a bunch of flowers himself, nervously and inside a paper bag. He spent a lot of time trying to decide which to choose, because he knew Yuuji would know all the meanings. He's nervous as hell, but he won't admit to Yuuji that this is why he has them. “I just know you like flowers, dude,” he practices saying.

Anabara dismisses the team and they troop off to the showers. Yuuji hangs back, having seen Chikara waiting for him.

“How long have you been here,” he says, grinning as he lunges for a kiss. He tastes of the sweat running from his forehead, cold and wet from the water he's been drinking during the pep talk afterwards.

“About ten minutes.” He licks his top lip. “Urgh, go get a shower, please.”

“You love it.”

“I do not, it's gross.” To prove a point, he wipes his sleeve across his mouth, but Yuuji squawks with laughter.

“Fuck off, you've had worse.”

“Now _that's_ gross.”

Yuuji walks away, but looks back over his shoulder. “You waiting here, or coming with me?”

“Eh?”

“Everyone'll be finished soon. I have the keys to lock up afterwards.” He wiggles the keys while moving his eyebrows up and down. “If you get my drift?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Chikara sits back on the coach's bench. “I'll wait here, I think.”

“Spoilsport.” Yuuji carries on into the changing room, a blast of sound coming as he opens the door. Everyone at Johzenji seems loud, next to the rest of them, Yuuji seems well tamed.

Chikara waits, the paper bag on his lap, worrying the thick rope handles of it between his fingers. A lot of the team leaves the changing room; there can't be more than three people left, but Chikara hasn't really been keeping track of how many he's seen walk out, because he's stupidly distracted, trying not to think about Yuuji's offer.

First, he tries to work out if Yuuji actually meant it. They've seen every inch of each other, sure, but there's something about showering together that seems ludicrously domestic somehow. Teenagers don't shower together, do they?

Then again, teenagers don't usually buy each other flowers, either, and that's happened three times now.

So, working with the premise that Yuuji meant it – because it's classic Yuuji behaviour – next he has to work out what they'd do if he went in there. It's the changing rooms in the school gymnasium, it's not particularly private or comfortable or...Chikara baulks as he thinks 'romantic'.

Even if he meant it, then, does Chikara want to follow? And here he knows the answer, unequivocally, as it's throbbing in his underpants.

Yes, absolutely, he wants nothing more.

“Fuck's sake,” he sighs as he stands up and follows Yuuji.

As he walks in, there's no sound, aside from a zip; their libero is putting on his jacket, wet hair hanging down and starting to curl up as it dries. He smiles at Chikara, they all recognise him by now, and walks towards the door. He pauses before leaving, turns back to Chikara and says, “He's back there. Everyone else is gone.”

Chikara's cheeks are hot and his legs feel slightly wobbly as he makes his way to where the steam is coming from. There, Yuuji sits on a bench, wet hair and a towel around his waist, sobbing softly into another towel.

“Yuuji, hey,” Chikara says softly, setting the paper bag down before sitting next to him, “What's wrong?”

“Ah nothing. Last day of practice, isn't it? Hit me in here.”

“Yeah. Mine was rough too.”

“Sorry I couldn't be there...”

“That's not why I said it,” he interrupts him to say, putting a hand on the towel over his knee. “I mean, I know how you're feeling.” He stretches to reach the bag and passes it over to Yuuji. “Here. Got you something.”

Yuuji leans to kiss his cheek. “What's this?”

“Well, open it and see.” Chikara's heart hammers in his chest as Yuuji smiles and starts to open the bag.

It took him ages to decide what to get; it had to have the right tone, mean the right things, or he could mess everything up.

Yuuji gently pulls out a small pot of yellow flowers, each one made up of large round petals with a longer curled one jutting out. They're pretty and delicate, and Yuuji holds them like they're made out of crystal. “Sweet peas,” he says in a whisper. “My birth flower.”

“Hm-mm. And yellow is your birth colour, did you know?”

“Yeah,” he says, still transfixed.

“I had to check what they meant as well though, and luckily,” Chikara pauses as he shuffles closer and takes Yuuji's hand in his. “They also mean...urm, pleasure. Blissful pleasure.”

“Oh. Really?” He stares up into Chikara's face, suddenly seeming as fragile as the sweet peas. “So you still chose them, even though they mean that?”

“Yeah.” Chikara can't take his eyes off Yuuji; his pupils are dilated, eyelids heavy, and there's a pink blush spreading across his cheeks. “I wondered if we should...try again?”

Yuuji leans up and kisses him, putting the pot down as he moves. He smells of baby powder and whatever is in that conditioner he uses (but won't admit to using). He moves his tongue between Chikara's lips, and he lets him in and starts to search for the sensitive spots inside Yuuji's mouth he knows are there. He's rewarded with some humming, and then moaning as Chikara moves down his neck.

Chikara gathers him in, forgetting where they are, grasping at him desperately. Yuuji's towel is barely staying on as it is, but when he climbs onto Chikara's lap and pulls his top over his head, it falls to the floor.

Chikara stops to pick it up, but Yuuji says, “Fuck the towel,” as he pulls Chikara's trousers down, encouraging him to lift his hips. Yuuji moves further, kneeling between Chikara's knees.

“Yuuji...” Chikara breathes out, “You don't have to...”

“Shh,” he strokes Chikara's thighs, holding his cock and teasing the tip of it. “I want to. You did it for me, let me repay the favour.”

Yuuji's mouth around him is warm and soft, and his tongue sliding up the shaft, pressing the stud along the length is unbelievable. The last scraps of Chikara's inhibitions melt away.

He laughs when Yuuji produces lube, then whines when he admits he's already used it in the shower. If he thought Yuuji's mouth felt incredible, he wasn't prepared in the slightest for the feeling of being inside him.

As well as the money for flowers, Chikara brought extra with him, stuffed into his back pocket, to pay for a hotel room. The flowers did their job of communicating his desires, but it turns out they don't need a hotel. The changing rooms might not be comfortable or private (or even romantic) but it's enough for them.

Even though his quiet bedroom in an empty house wasn't enough, the changing room is, somehow.

–

A few days later, Yuuji thinks about the sweet peas and the meaning of the flowers they didn't talk about; 'Thanks for a lovely time.'

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s an epilogue to this still to come but it’ll be posted as a separate work for reasons that’ll become obvious.


End file.
